2011-2012 Undergraduate & Graduate Catalog
Brooks College of Interdisciplinary Studies
Administration
Dean: Wenner; Associate Dean: Glass
Web site
Mission
The Brooks College of Interdisciplinary Studies fosters and supports interdisciplinary programs and initiative in teaching and research and university-wide support services. Its mission is: connecting diverse interdisciplinary communities and cultivating innovative liberal learning.
Program Information
The Brooks College of Interdisciplinary Studies offers interdisciplinary undergraduate degree programs in Chinese studies, liberal studies and women and gender studies; minors in African/African-American studies, East Asian studies, environmental studies, Latin American studies, Middle East studies, and women and gender studies. In addition, the college hosts a number of academic and non-academic units that provide university-wide service and opportunities for faculty and students. The college serves to nurture and support interdisciplinary programming and promote cross-disciplinary collaboration.
What is interdisciplinary study? Traditional university models involve discipline-specific learning, focusing on depth of knowledge. Interdisciplinary study requires the learner to incorporate knowledge from a variety of content areas within a perspective that helps to solve complex problems and issues. Critical thinking skills are developed by learners who see the breadth of issues as well as the depth, combining science, the arts, and humanities. Interdisciplinary questions are complex, multi-faceted, and involve the highest order of learning skills. Often this means that instruction comes from experts in a variety of fields, and outstanding teachers who can help students combine real-world experience with broad content knowledge.
Continuing Education
The Office of Continuing Education provides programs and services that link the needs of lifelong learners with the resources of the university. Continuing Education coordinates academic programs and services at regional sites and locations throughout Michigan, as well as through professional development and community engagement opportunities. Information regarding professional development and Grand Forum can be found in the Community Resources section of the catalog. Information regarding nontraditional student assistance, programs and locations, can be found in the Continuing Education section of the catalog.
The Frederik Meijer Honors College
The Frederik Meijer Honors College provides academically talented students from all majors with the opportunity to work with excellent teaching faculty in a small college environment. The mission of the Honors College is to provide a challenging interdisciplinary liberal education and a living/learning environment that prepares students to be intellectually curious, life-long learners and leaders in their communities and a changing world. Additional Honors College information can be found in the Honors College section of the catalog. Honors courses are team taught, blocked sequentially, and offer an interdisciplinary approach to general education.
Barbara H. Padnos International Center
The Padnos International Center (PIC) serves as the university clearinghouse for study abroad opportunities for students from all academic programs. Students can choose to take faculty-led classes abroad, spend a semester abroad or intern at an international site. In addition, grants are available for faculty and staff to travel abroad to aid in the internationalization of GVSU and its curriculum. PIC hosts international scholars as well as incoming international students.
Office of Integrative Learning
Integrative Learning offers a variety of programs and resources to fully engage students in their lifelong educational journeys and assist them in making connections between school, work, and other spheres of their everyday lives. The purpose of the Office of Integrative Learning is to help students transcend boundaries between academic, personal, and work life to become engaged, ethical, and academically proficient learners.
Some of the hallmark programs of the Office of Integrative Learning are:
- The Community Reading Project Enhances the intellectual environment and culture of Grand Valley and its surrounding communities by encouraging the reading, appreciation, and discussion of books.
- The BCoIS Co-curriculum offers collaborative educational experiences and events which encourage students to critique and shape their own educational paths within the context of an academic course.
- BCoIS Advising Support Services coordinates and assists in providing services and resources supporting academic advising for students majoring or minoring in BCoIS academic programs.
Sustainable Community Development Initiative
The Sustainable Community Development Initiative (SCDI) provides the necessary skills, analytical tools, and resources to address global, national, regional, and local sustainability issues. Sustainability relates to the preservation of society for future generations by addressing the three pronged approach of social justice, economic prosperity, and environmental stewardship. SCDI connects faculty, students, and community stakeholders to address campus needs as well as community needs. The initiative provides support and input for course development, campus programming, internships, and project activities that promote awareness about sustainable development and the application for sustainable best practices.
Lake Michigan Writing Project
The Lake Michigan Writing Project (LMWP) is an organization of, by, and for teachers of writing at all grade levels and in all disciplines, dedicated to improving the teaching and uses of writing through a variety of programs.
Academic Units
Liberal Studies
The Liberal Studies Department at Grand Valley State University provides students with the opportunity to design programs that suit their specific interests, talents, and career aspirations utilizing courses throughout the university. The program begins with a core of required courses. Then, with the help of a faculty advisor, students develop a major area of study based on a specific theme, issue, problem, or career interest. Students interested in exploring the liberal studies option might begin by taking one of the core courses in conjunction with the Grand Valley State University general education requirement or one of the integrative or interdisciplinary electives. Students may also wish to write or make an appointment with any one of the members of the liberal studies committee.
Women and Gender Studies
The Women and Gender Studies Program at Grand Valley State University offers an interdisciplinary major and minor based on the scholarship of the study of women, men, lesbians, gays, transgendered, and bisexuals. WGS has close relationships with the Liberal Studies Department and the African/African American, Middle Eastern, Latin American, and East Asian programs. The WGS Program works closely with GVSU's Women's Center, LGBT Resource Center, and Office of Multicultural Affairs to cosponsor a variety of speakers, events, and internships. For students selecting the major or minor in women and gender studies, there are more than 30 courses that fulfill the required twenty-one hours. More than 40 faculty across the campus support WGS through teaching, research, and service.
Areas Studies Programs
Area Studies focus on the interdisciplinary study of the culture and issues of a particular world region.
- African/African American studies (minor)
- Middle East Studies (minor)
- Latin American studies (minor)
- East Asian studies (minor
- Chinese studies (major)
Environmental Studies Minor
The Environmental Studies minor draws ideas and information from a wide array of fields such as anthropology, public policy, political science, economics, geography, geology, history, philosophy, psychology, sociology, biology, engineering, health science, and chemistry.
The Environmental Studies minor is designed to provide a broad interdisciplinary understanding of environmental issues for students in any major. Courses in the program will prepare students to develop effective, practical ways to address sustainability and environmental concerns.
Student Services and Campus-wide Programs
Supplemental Writing Skills Program
The supplemental Writing Skills (SWS) Program is a pedagogical component of the GVSU general-education requirements. SWS courses are writing-intensive, meaning that writing quality is a major component of both the classroom requirement as well as the grade. GVSU requires that students complete two SWS courses to graduate. Specific courses are listed as SWS. Additional information regarding SWS requirements can be found under Academic Policies and Regulations
Community Reading Project
The community reading project is a campus wide initiative designed to form reading communities that focus on a single, annual reading. Community groups, classes, faculty, and alumni are invited to join the groups.
Now going into its 7th year, the Community Reading Project continues to carry on the tradition of providing the GVSU and surrounding community with the opportunity to engage in reading and discussing a selected text. Special events related to the topics and themes addressed in the CRP book selection are offered throughout the academic calendar, which culminates near the end of the winter semester, when the CRP book selection author or another distinguished lecturer is brought to campus to speak. Past CRP book selections and authors have included:
(2010-2011): The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, by Rebecca Skloot
(2009-2010): Three Cups of Tea, by Greg Mortenson
(2008-2009): A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier, by Ishmael Beah
(2007-2008): The Glass Castle: A Memoir, by Jeannette Walls
(2006-2007): The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini
(2005-2006): The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, by Mark Haddon
Awards, Scholarships, and Scholarship Events
GVSU LGBT Scholarship Fund
Barbara H. Padnos International Scholarship
Jean Enright Scholarship (Women and Gender Studies)
CEA Scholarship (Cultural Experiences Abroad)
Mark A. Elizabeth C. Murray Study Abroad Scholarship
Nichols Sustainability Scholarship
Peace and Justice Award
Arend D. & Nancy Lubbers Honors College Scholarship
Grand Forum Scholarship for Continuing Education
Student Summer Scholars Program
Student Scholars Day
Graduate Assistantships
Graduate assistants work with BCoIS faculty and staff. Qualified candidates are selected on the basis of aptitude, interest, and background. BCoIS offers graduate assistantships in the following programs:
Continuing Education
General Education
Integrative Learning
Padnos International Center
Sustainable Community Development Initiative
Writing Center
Advisory Boards
Latin American Studies
Sustainable Community Development Initiative
Women & Gender Studies
Community Resources
Grand Forum
Professional Development
The Professional Development Partnership Program (for education and social work professionals)
Sustainable Community Development Initiative
Refer to the Community Resources section of the catalog for more information.